Beyond the Glass

A little boy with brown hair and freckles taps on the glass. "Mommy, look! A purple fish!"

"That's not a fish, sweetheart," the mother says, leaning towards the glass. "That's a mermaid. A beautiful one. They must have had a lucky catch."

My magenta tail shimmers beneath the fluorescent lights as I twirl around a statue of Lorelei, a popular mermaid who performed at the Blue Lagoon.

This is my life. Everything I know—entertaining visitors behind glass.

At least that's what they tell me.

The crowd hollers and cheers as I swim up to the glass, giving them a double wave and a smile.

"Serenna!" Harper calls, cutting through the commotion.

I give one last blowing kiss to the audience before swimming to the surface.

As my head emerges from the water, Harper throws a handful of kelp at me.

"Good morning, Harper!" I beam as the kelp hits the water.

"Good morning to you, too," she smiles. I feel her gaze lingering on me before she continues. "Serenna. How do you feel about getting a new... roommate?"

"Roommate? Do you mean another merfolk to share the tank with me?" I ask, taking a bite of the kelp.

"Exactly that," she nods slowly, her demeanor shifting. "You see, we found an injured merman at the front of the facility, and we couldn't just leave him there," she sighs. "You'd be the perfect mermaid to introduce him to our way of living."

I pause, half of the kelp barely in my mouth. "He was injured?" I swim closer, placing my hands on the ledge. "What happened?"

Harper kneels. "The facilitators came in this morning to a... barely conscious merman on our step. He begged and pleaded with us to take him in—to help him—we just couldn't refuse. He needed us."

I listen, my lips parting, as she continues.

"Right now, we are checking his vitals, but once he's done, we'll send him in." Harper pulls out a clipboard and checks something off her list. "Serenna."

"Yes?" I whisper, fiddling with a wet strand of my hair.

"Are you willing to share the tank with him?"

"Of course!" I sputter, water flying in the air from my flailing hands. "I will help him and make him feel at home!"

"Help him adjust," she instantly corrects, her eyes finding mine over the clipboard.

"Right! Of course!" I stammer. "I'll teach him the Blue Lagoon Way!"

"Good," she says, wiping down her skirt. "He will be ready in just a few minutes." Her heels click against the pavement as she walks to the exit. "Oh, and Serenna," she says, turning her head over her shoulder.

I slowly lift my head. "Yes?"

"He may be a bit... uncooperative. If he seems aggressive, just call us. We will have him taken care of." And with that, the door clicks behind her.

My lavender eyes linger on the door. The room hums around me—quiet, but somehow suffocating.

I can't imagine how scared this merman must feel.

Alone. Injured. Terrified. But he made a good choice in coming over to the Blue Lagoon. I know they'll take good care of him—just like they did for me.

Harper has been my caretaker ever since I was young. One day, a terrible storm brought me to the Blue Lagoon. I was so badly injured that I could've died if it weren't for their help.

Now, I'm a performer for the Blue Lagoon, aspiring to be as good at Lorelei someday. She was a magnificent mermaid—always performed perfectly, engaged with the guests, and got along with everyone.

Unfortunately, when she was performing, a horrific accident occurred, and she was never seen again. No one ever talks about what happened, but sometimes I still wonder about her.

I sigh, gliding to my favorite rock in the middle of the tank. I hum softly to a tune I once heard in the aquarium as I grab a coral comb, gliding the piece through my baby pink hair.

A few teenage girls walk in and excitedly snap photos of me. They coo and giggle behind the glass as I smile and wave.

Then, one of the girls suddenly drops her phone, screaming and pointing. Panic fills the room as the space around me darkens. I look up just as a splash tears through the surface.

The comb slips out of my hand, settling gently on the sand as I flee behind a coral reef.

The silence that follows the impact is suffocating. Tense. And terrifying.

I slowly poke my head from behind the reef, trying to see through the eddying water, but it's hard to tell.

I glance toward the viewing window—hoping to see Harper or any of the other caretakers, but I'm only met with my reflection.

Where has everyone gone?

A faint light flickers against the glass, revealing a motionless body behind the sizzling water. My breath catches. Is this the roommate Harper was talking about?

I take another peek, and there he is. Motionless. Silent. But somehow peaceful.

"You can do this, Serenna. He needs our help," I mutter, slowly swimming over.

My heart tightens.

The merman is beautiful—pale green skin, a sparkling teal tail, and untamed prussian-blue hair.

I instinctively reach out, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. He twitches slightly as I caress his cheek. He really does look hurt, just like how Harper said. My hand lingers a beat longer than necessary before I realize what I'm doing.

I float backward, my eyes scanning his body. He has bruises from his face to his torso, a small handcuff binding his wrists, and a small cut on his lip.

I reach for the shell beside me when a beeping noise rings in my ear. I gasp, clutching my hair—but then I freeze.

There's a small, flashing tag attached to his wrist.

PROPERTY OF BLUE LAGOON.

And I swear it wasn't there before.

Not when I first touched him, not when I looked closer, not until now, staring back at me.